My Best Friend's Girl
by shinethroughthedarkness
Summary: Jake and Edward were best friends. While Edward is away for the summer, Bella moves to town, and Jake falls for her. When Edward meets her, he seems to fall for her, too. A little rivalry is healthy in a friendship, right? AH, AU, E/B
1. Working Out

**Author's Note: Hellou! Here's something that popped into my head while I should have been studying for finals. Review and tell me if I should continue with it. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I make exactly zero dollars off of this.**

I was finally home. To many, the small town of Forks wasn't anything special to come home to, but to me, it was a welcome sight after three long months of shopping in New York with my way-too-bubbly little sister, Alice.

My best friend Jake had called me every couple of weeks to update me on what was going on back at the home front. Apparently there was a new girl who was a "total babe" in his words. He seemed absolutely smitten with her, and I was happy for him.

A bit jealous maybe, but happy for him.

Jake was a year younger than me. It seemed rather unfair that he could find his girl at sixteen when I still had no idea at seventeen.

"You're being ridiculous," I muttered to myself as I pulled myself up from my bed. Jake hadn't said anything about love. I was just assuming.

"Carlisle, Esme!" I called out to my adoptive parents. "I'm headed to the gym to meet Jake."

"That's fine, honey," Esme replied as I came bounding quickly down the stairs in my black gym shorts and too-tight Linkin Park t-shirt. I had put on quite a bit of muscle over the summer, working out as an excuse to avoid shopping, and was definitely in need of a shopping trip.

I grabbed the keys to my Volvo from the hook by the door and made my way to my car. I laughed at myself slightly when the soothing sounds of Debussy filled the space around me. Not exactly work out music.

I switched over to an oldies station and spent the five minute drive to the high school gym jamming to Buddy Holly. That wasn't exactly work out music either, but it did hold a certain bounce to it that put me in a good state of mind for a relaxing workout that was for fun instead of anger release.

I pulled in next to Jake's Volkswagon Rabbit. I hadn't realized he finished fixing it up. It really was a sad excuse for a vehicle, and I seriously considered buying a broke down Chevelle and having him fix that up instead. That would be a much better use for his amateur mechanics.

I made my way up the stairs to the weight lifting room, taking my time.

"E! Hey, man!" Jake called as he noticed me from where he was standing. It looked like he was spotting the bench press for someone. Weird. Usually on Saturdays it was just the two of us.

I glanced down at who he was spotting for, expecting to see one of his other guy friends like Embry or Quil, but was shocked at the sight before me.

She was stunning. Absolutely breathtaking. I froze. I thought through all the things I should say, all the things I could say to make myself look like less of an idiot, but nothing came out. I just stood there staring, silent and frozen.

"E? You okay, dude?" Jake questioned.

The beautiful girl sat up, giving me a better view of her perfect, heart-shaped face and those big, chocolate-brown eyes. She noticed my staring and blushed. I couldn't hold back my smile. It was funny to think that someone this beautiful could possibly be shy.

"Oh, this is Bella," Jake went on, trying to get some sort of response from me, I'm sure. "Bella, this is my pal, Edward. I call him E because he won't let me call him Eddie, and Edward's a crap name."

Somewhere in the midst of his rant, I reluctantly pulled my gaze away from this Bella, this beauty, and looked at Jake. But when she spoke, my eyes found her quickly and easily – like they were meant to be trained on her lovely face.

"Edward's a good name," she said, and her voice was so shy and quiet that I wanted to kiss away her fears. What was happening to me?

"Bella's a good name, too," I replied lamely. No one had said anything bad about her name. What was wrong with me? "I mean, it fits you. Bella means beautiful." I did my best to recover, and in my defense, it was all very true.

Bella's blush was back with a vengeance, this time taking over her face, ears and neck. She mumbled a quick thanks and then hid behind her hair.

"Yeah, awkward." Leave it to Jake to point out the obvious. "Anyway, this is the girl I've been telling you about. She's been chilling with me all summer, since you ditched. So when I said this is Bella, I really meant, E, meet your replacement."

That snapped me back to reality. With just that, my romantic fantasy world crumbled. Bella was his girl, the one he'd been going on about. Of course she was too perfect to be mine. I had to get a grip. So, I faked it.

"Replacement? I bet she's not near as good of a kisser as I am," I joked, but couldn't keep my mind from wandering to how good of a kisser she really was and if Jake had kissed her.

He laughed at that, and the tense atmosphere seemed to melt away. Although it seemed there was an energy pulsing between Bella and me. That was probably just my romantic imagination. Three months of estrogen-powered shopping can really screw a guy up.

"What's going on in that crazy head of yours, E?" Jake said, pulling me from my reverie once again. "Let's hit the weights."

I walked over to the treadmill where I liked to warm up my muscles before putting them to work. I set it at a fairly quick pace and walked easily on it as I watched Bella continue with her bench press while Jake spotted her.

"There you go, Bells," he chanted. "Just a little further."

She was only pushing up the bar, which weighed 45 pounds. I was surprised to see her struggling. She looked so fit. Knowing she was weaker that I'd thought made me want to help her, to lift that bar for her so she wouldn't have to. I knew that was silly, considering where we were, but it just seemed right – me helping her.

She finally extended her arms completely with one last grunt that still sounded feminine. She laid the bar back on its rests and beamed up at Jake.

"Jake, I did it!" she exclaimed, and her enthusiasm was contagious. I couldn't contain my wide smile. "I finally got the bar up!"

With that, Jake wrapped his arms tightly around her, giving her a quick hug. She seemed a little uncomfortable in his embrace and just patted his back a couple of times before stepping away from him. However, her smile never wavered, so maybe I was just imagining things again.

"Congrats, Bells." Jake smiled, then looked over at me with a familiar teasing glint in his eye. "Now you can bench more than Edward."

Bella laughed, and I couldn't even fake a scowl or feign offense while that heavenly sound filled the weight room.

"He's right," I answered after I regained my composure. "You've got me." It was only a half lie, because although I could definitely out-bench her, she did have me. After five minutes, she could ask anything of me and I would easily comply.

The rest of the morning went like that. We were all joking and laughing easily while we worked out together. It wasn't much different from the times when only Jake and I were hanging out together, except that all of my attention was focused on Bella and I was dying to be closer to her. Okay, so it was entirely different.

She had me. But I certainly didn't have her.

It seemed Jake did.


	2. Making Plans

**Author's Note: I'm really liking the way this story is going. I've got a general idea where I want this to go, but I haven't worked out all of the details yet. Let me know if you have any suggestions, and I just might consider them. Thanks to my two reviewers and all of you who read the story, but choose to be the strong, silent type. Just so you know, talkers are underrated. Go ahead and review, I won't think any less of you. =)**

**Disclaimer: Let's do this what Yoda-style. Own twilight, I do not. Make money, I will not.**

After we were all finished working out, Jake and Bella left for lunch. They didn't invite me. Although I would have loved to interrupt their date by tagging along as a third wheel, Jake was my best friend, and I wouldn't do that to him. My parents had raised me with manners, whether I wanted them or not.

So, I headed back home. I was greeted at the door by my adoptive father, Carlisle.

"Edward," he said with a nod. "How was the workout?"

I paused to think over my answer. I was always open and honest with my parents, and I figured Carlisle might be able to help me with my problem. "Jake brought the new girl, Bella with him," I answered.

Carlisle raised both his eyebrows in question. "Oh? And what's she like?"

"She's perfect, Carlisle," I said in a sigh. "She's beautiful and so different from any girl I've ever met."

"Sounds like someone has a bit of a crush," Carlisle guessed knowingly.

"Yeah, but that's bad," I said. Carlisle raised his brows in question once more. "She's Jake's."

Carlisle laughed at this. I couldn't imagine why my situation would be comical. I had fallen for my best friend's girl. There was nothing funny about that.

"Edward," Carlisle started. "She's not Jake's." I was about to object, but he raised a finger to indicate he wasn't finished. "Bella is her own person. She does not belong to anyone."

"I know that, Carlisle, but you know what I mean. She's his girl. She's off limits," I clarified.

"Ah, so they're dating, then?" He inquired, and I thought that over.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly if they're dating, but he has dibs."

"Dibs?" he asked, laughing again. "Edward, this is hardly the front seat of a car we're talking about here. This is a relationship with a girl. You can't just call dibs."

"So then should I go for her, if they're not dating?" I asked, confused. "I mean, Jake already told me that he's totally into her and he thinks she might be into him, too. Couldn't that mess up our friendship?"

"Edward, I'm not going to tell you what you should do about this," Carlisle said in his typical cryptic way. "Yes, pursuing Bella may cause trials in our friendship with Jacob, but I've never heard you talk about a girl this way. If you like this girl, it's only fair that she knows that. She can hardly choose you if she doesn't realize you're an option."

"So I should go for her," I concluded.

"Only if you're willing to deal with the problems that could come with pursuing her. Are you sure it's worth it?"

"Carlisle, she's worth everything," I answered firmly. He just smiled at me in response before patting my back and walking toward his study.

As I made my way to my bedroom, I met Esme carrying my dirty laundry hamper.

"Esme, please," I said. "I'm seventeen. I can do my own laundry." I tried to take the hamper from her, but she held her grip and shook her head at me.

"Nonsense," she said with authority. "I don't mind at all, and you'll be needing all of the time and energy you can get to woo this new love interest of yours out of the clutches of the enemy."

I couldn't hold back my laugh at that. "It's not exactly all that dramatic, Esme," I laughed. "But I assume you were eavesdropping and caught my whole conversation with Carlisle then?"

Esme held her hands up defensively. "I wasn't eavesdropping. I was simply walking through," she protested. "I wasn't even in stealth mode. It's not my fault that you weren't aware of my presence. Should I announce my entry next time?"

I laughed at her again. Esme always knew exactly what I needed. I was worrying to much over this, and her comic relief was making me feel much lighter.

"I love you, Mom," I said, and her eyes filled with tears. I rarely called her Mom, and she was understanding of that. I had a real mom once, and she never tried to replace her. But in times like these, when I knew that she was every bit as much of a mother as my biological mother had been, I let it slip out naturally.

"I love you, Edward," she sobbed as she kissed my cheek and continued downstairs to the laundry room. I was smiling now, feeling much better as I finally made it to my now clean bedroom, the few clothes I had laid on the floor having been picked up by Esme.

I plopped down on my queen size bed, effectively messing up the perfectly smooth gold comforter. "What now?" I mumbled to no one in particular.

As I thought over what I should do next in order to pursue Bella, I couldn't help but think about the consequences this new plan of mine would have on my relationship with my best friend. I felt like I was stabbing him in the back. I really didn't want to sneak around him, underhandedly stealing his girl. I'd rather if he knew.

Once I came to the realization that I wanted him to know how I felt and what I planned to do, I knew what had to happen next. I had to call Jake. I had to suck down all of my fears, call my best friend, and tell him that I had every intention of stealing the girl he liked.

Awesome.

So after taking a relaxing hot shower, effectively loosening my tense muscles, and getting dressed into a plain burgundy t-shirt and my favorite Levis, I grabbed my cell phone off my dresser.

Taking in a deep breath, I held down the one key, speed dialing Jake.

"Talk," he answered in his usual way.

"Hey, Jake," I started hesitantly, "It's Edward."

"Yeah, E. I caught that when your name showed up on the caller ID," he replied sarcastically. "What'd you need, man?"

I took another deep breath, figuring I'd better just spill it all out now.

"So, I really like Bella, and I know you like her, too, but I hardly ever like girls, so even though I don't mean anything against you by it, I'm going to take my shot at her," I said quickly, blurring all my words together. "If you aren't already dating, that is." I amended.

I braced myself for his reaction. This would be what determined what happened with our friendship. Surely he wouldn't give up our friendship over something as silly as a girl. Then again, that's exactly what I'm doing. I heard Jake take in a deep breath before he spoke.

"Seriously, man?"

Really, that was all he was going to say? I had been expecting him to lecture me on stealing his girl. I really couldn't get off this easily, could I?

"Seriously."

Then he growled. He actually growled at me through the phone. _That _was the reaction I was waiting for. I braced myself once more for his reaction, running my fingers through my messy hair.

"You mean to tell me that after seventeen years of not giving any girl that threw themselves at you the time of day, you're going to pick the one girl who actually seems to like me to pursue," Jake began. It was obviously he had only begun. "What the crap kind of jerk-move is that? I mean, yeah, I've liked girls before, but Bella's different. I mean, Edward, I think I love her."

What? Love?

"I know we've only known each other for a few months," Jake continued, sounding more as if he were pleading with me than yelling at me. "But I can see myself with her. I can see a future with her. I can see a little house and kids. Jeez, Edward, really? She's supposed to be my girl."

I cleared my throat. I couldn't figure out what to say to that.

"So," I started, still hesitant, "You're dating then? If that's what's up, I'll back off."

I could hear Jake sigh into the phone.

"No," he said sadly, giving me a hope that made me smile despite the guilt that came with it. "We're not officially dating."

"I'm sorry, man," I said halfheartedly.

"No you're not."

"You're right," I admitted. "I'm not."

"So, what happens now?" Jake asked, sounding just as confused about this situation as I felt. "May the best man win?"

"Aw, Jake, we both know I'm the best man," I teased. "If those are the only standards, it won't be much of a competition at all."

Jake laughed, but he sounded a bit uneasy.

"Are we cool?" he asked. I couldn't be sure. I wanted to say yes, but this new situation obviously presented a problem that wouldn't be going away anytime soon.

"I hope so," I answered honestly.

"You want her number?" Jake offered, surprising me.

"Yeah, man," I answered quickly. "That'd be great."

"I bet it would," he said, and I could hear the victorious smile on his face.

"Punk."

Jake just laughed and hung up the phone. This was definitely going to get interesting.


	3. First Steps

**Author's Note: Thanks to all who reviewed and favorited this story. I love getting your feedback. My updating schedule for this story is up in the air at the moment. I'd like to say I'll update at least every other day, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that commitment yet, since I'm moving in the next month. Still, I'll do my best to keep this updated regularly. Anyhoo, here's the next chapter. I love the Bella-Edward talk here, and I hope you will, too. **

**Disclaimer: Rhyme time! I do not own Twilight. I do not make money. Disclaimers can get boring, so I try to make mine funny. =D**

I laid back down on my bed, letting my thoughts have me for a while. I now knew that I would be pursuing Bella, no matter what. That led to a whole new batch of problems. First, I had no idea how to contact her. Second, I was fairly certain that she held feelings for Jake already. Third, I had exactly no experience with wooing women.

So I finally surrendered to what I knew to be the only option if I wanted to succeed.

"Carlisle!" I called as I walked out into the hallway and down the stairs.

"What's on your mind, son?"

"I'm going for it," I couldn't help but smile at how happy my own words made me feel. "I talked to Jake, and I think we're cool, but I know this will still be hard. I…"

I hesitated and Carlisle, of course, noticed. "What is it, Edward?"

"I have no idea what I'm doing," I confessed. "I mean, how do I get her to like me?"

"Edward, son," Carlisle started with a sigh, sitting down with me on the white living room sofa, "If this Bella truly is as wonderful as you seem to believe, then you won't have to do anything to get her to like you. You just have to show her who you are, and if she's smart, she'll appreciate that."

"That's it?" I asked, amazed at how simple it sounded. Surely wooing her couldn't be that easy.

"That's it," Carlisle said as he nodded in confirmation.

"Okay," I breathed. "Now I just have to find her."

Carlisle laughed at my predicament, obviously amused that I was a few steps ahead of myself in my planning. I couldn't help but join in with him. My situation was rather ridiculous.

"Ask Esme," Carlisle suggested. "You know how they gossip at those garden parties. I'm sure she knows where the new girl is living."

I didn't even bother to hide my excitement at his words. "Carlisle, you're brilliant!"

I jumped up quickly and ran to find Esme, while shouting back a quick "thank-you so much" at Carlisle.

I found Esme in the kitchen, preparing a roast in the slow-cooker for the night's dinner. She was slicing up potatoes and carrots when as I approached her, picking up a knife to assist her.

"Need some insider info?" I laughed. She knew everything. I decided to play along with her apparent new fascination for spy lingo.

"It seems a certain new subject has made an appearance within our district," I said seriously. "She may be in danger of enemy attack and capture, so I've been put in charge of protecting her."

Esme just smiled knowingly, clearly understanding the meaning behind my words.

"Bella is Bella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter," she reported like the magnificent spy she is. "You do know where Chief Swan lives, don't you?"

I nodded and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Thanks, Esme."

Within seconds I had dropped the knife and darted out the front door, just barely thinking to grab my keys off the hanger by the door.

Once I was on the road, I started to work out the details of my plan. I would arrive at Chief Swan's house, politely ask Bella if she would like a tour of the town from a slightly different perspective, then spend the afternoon and evening showering her with all the affection she deserves.

It seemed fool-proof. But it soon became obvious that it was anything but fool-proof.

As I neared my destination, Jacob's Rabbit came into view. "He didn't," I muttered bitterly to myself, but it was quite transparent that he did.

I pulled in anyway, reasoning that if Jake was just hanging out with her as a friend, I could follow suit. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but I'd get to be with Bella and I'd get to prevent some Bella-Jacob alone time. Two birds with one stone.

Approaching Bella's front door, I couldn't help but get a little nervous. Chief Swan's police cruiser was parked in the driveway next to Jake's Rabbit. I wondered briefly what he would think of the feelings I had toward his daughter, what his reaction would be when I took her out for our first official date, but I quickly shook off those thoughts. I was getting ahead of myself again. Bella had yet to fall for me. She didn't even know how I felt about her… yet.

I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. "You can do this," I chanted to myself.

As the door opened, I was greeted with the beautiful sight of Bella herself, now clean and wearing jeans and a simple blue t-shirt that looked amazing on her, looking surprised to see me, but still smiling. That was a good sign.

"Hi, Edward," she started hesitantly, as she blushed. Oh, I would never get over how beautiful that blush made her skin look. "Come on in."

"Thanks," I replied stupidly, still in awe of the magnificence before me. She was more perfect than I remembered.

There was an awkward moment of silence between us as I noticed Jake and Chief Swan shooting daggers at me from the small living room, where they appeared to have been watching some sort of sports broadcast. Pulling myself together, I decided I should probably address them. I didn't want to give a bad first impression on Bella's father.

"Hello, Jacob," I nodded in his direction, then stepped into the living room, approaching the Chief's recliner, where he sat, making no move to stand for my introduction. "Chief Swan," I started, "I'm Edward Cullen. As a new friend of Bella's, I wanted to formally introduce myself." I extended my hand out for him to shake.

"Funny," he said, while grabbing hold of my hand and giving it two firm shakes, "She's never mentioned you as a friend."

Well, that was awkward. I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that one. I guess, in reality, Bella and I had just met that morning, and I was a far cry from a friend by normal standards, barely making the mark for an acquaintance, but I felt as if I'd known her forever. I felt like we had a connection even stronger than friendship, but I couldn't exactly tell that to Chief Swan who was eyeing me warily.

"Well, I'm a new friend," I corrected, hoping my long pause didn't seem too suspicious.

"Okay," he said easily, shifting his eyes back to the television set. I noticed it looked rather old, like a nineties model.

I shifted my attention back to Bella, who, much to my appeasement, seemed to have been staring at me. Once my eyes met hers, I felt a jolt of something I had never experienced go through me. I wondered if this was the chemistry people were always raving about. If it was, then they were right. It was amazing.

After a few moments had passed, Bella's eyes left my gaze and she blushed deeply, shifting uncomfortably. I walked toward her, wanting nothing more than to close the distance between us. I stopped about a foot away, although I would have loved to move in closer and hold her in a tight embrace, but I couldn't come off too strong.

"Since it seems your father and Jacob are rather preoccupied with their television program, would you be interested in visiting with me in the kitchen for a while?"

I winced inwardly at how formal that sounded. I sounded like a turn of the century romance novel, not a seventeen-year-old guy in the twenty-first century. She probably thought I was a total loser.

"Sure," she said shyly, making me question whether or not she actually wanted to talk with me. Maybe she was just trying to be nice. As we walked toward the kitchen table, I noticed the tattered copy of Wuthering Heights that sat on the window sill. Maybe my turn of the century romance novel talk wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"Bronte?" I inquired.

"You know Wuthering Heights?" she asked, seeming quite surprised.

"Sure, although I'm not a huge fan," I admitted. Carlisle said to be myself. I wouldn't pretend to love a novel I didn't really enjoy just to impress her. At least, I wouldn't do that until all else had failed. I noticed that she frowned at the discovery that I was not a fan.

"I actually prefer the works of Jane Austen," I continued. "Her writings seemed to teach a lesson, like she was passing on personal bits of wisdom through each tale."

Now she was smiling brightly. Perfect. I felt my heart speed up just at the sight of that angelic smile.

"Well, you're wrong about Bronte, but you're right about Austen, so I guess I'll let it slide this time."

"And what of next time?" I couldn't help but question. She said this time, and that implied that we'd be having a conversation like this one again. That meant we'd be having a conversation again. She wasn't repulsed by me, and just that revelation was enough to make me ecstatic.

"Next time," she started, pausing dramatically, then leaning in toward me. I couldn't help but think of what it would be like to kiss her as her our proximity became closer. "I will sick Jake on you."

Oh. Jake. Well, that caused all of those thoughts I was having about kissing her to disappear. Although I would kiss her if it would make her forget about Jake- if it would make her think of me and only me. I shook my head to make thoughts like those go away. I needed to stay focused.

She was laughing quietly at her threat, and her laugh sent shivers down my spine. She was flawless, a perfection amongst a broken humanity.

"So then, Mr. Literary," she said, and she seemed like she was having fun with our conversation. "What is _your_ favorite book?"

Uh oh. Was this a test? _Be yourself. Be yourself._ I kept chanting to myself, so I wouldn't just blurt out some romance to try to find the key to her heart.

"Treasure Island," I responded truthfully. "I love the adventure of it. It really lets you live a life that you would never have dreamed up on your own, you know?"

She was thoughtful for a moment, while I died in suspense. Finally, after what seemed like hours, but was probably only seconds, she nodded her head in agreement and smiled at me. If I wasn't aware of it before, I was most certainly aware now that this wonderful woman before me had my heart. She had my everything with just that smile.

"Hey, Bella?" Jake called from the living room. I had nearly forgotten his presence. "You ready to go to that movie?"

That got my attention. That sounded like a date. Too much like a date.

"Sure, Jake," Bella replied easily, and I instantly hated how close they were. "Let me just go grab my jacket from my room, and we can take off, okay?"

"Sure Bells," Jacob called back. I didn't much care for the way he was just talking to her from across the house. He should have paid her the respect to at least make eye contact with her for their conversation.

"Oh, E?" he asked. I was wary of what was coming next. "Do you need a ride home, man, or did you drive yourself?"

I was telling myself not to freak out. He was trying to be subtle, and I had to give him credit for that, but that didn't mean that I was okay with him taking my Bella on a date. Even if she wasn't my Bella yet, she could be someday, and I didn't want Jake tainting her into believing that the way he treats a woman is the right way. She deserved better than Jacob.

Really, she deserved better than me, but at least I was the better option of the two of us. I could at least give her that.

"Actually, Jake," Bella interjected while making her way down the stairs. "I was thinking Edward should come with us."

It's official. I love her.


	4. Back and Forth

**Author's Note: I love you guys. I get an e-mail on my Blackberry anytime I get a new review or favorite or alert, and I always giggle- sometimes because it's vibrating in my pocket, but most of the time because I'm just so darned happy. By the way, here's a shout-out to my favorite review from KelseyMae3! **

**I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update. In my defense, I have an awesome excuse. My husband called and said, "Get me a flight home for tomorrow. I just got my orders. We're moving to Georgia in a week." But now I'm in Georgia, getting set up and finally decided to let you guys have an update. **

**This is a short chapter (not that my other chapters are long), but it has some good stuff. Some nice little peeks into the brain of this slightly bipolar arrogant, yet low self esteemed Edward. Not a lot of plot motion, but it's all essential. I promise that the plot will move eventually! **

**Disclaimer: Roses are red. Violets are blue. Stephenie Meyer gets the credit. She gets the money, too.**

"Actually, Edward was just telling me goodbye," Jake tried, his eyes almost begging her to believe him. "Maybe next time."

"I'd love to come with you tonight," I disagreed quickly.

And Bella smiled. I couldn't help but hope that she was smiling because I was coming along tonight. Even if that wasn't the case, I couldn't deny myself that happiness right now. I needed the confidence in order for this to go well.

"Great," she said easily as she scampered to the front door. "Let's go."

"Wait a sec, Bells," Charlie called from his recliner in the living room. "I don't know how comfortable I feel with you going to the movies with a kid I don't know."

Bella seemed to be oblivious, but I sure didn't miss the way he was eyeing me as he said that. After spending the afternoon watching sports with Jacob, it was pretty clear he wasn't talking about him. He was talking about me. He didn't know me. He didn't trust me. And he definitely didn't want me going to the movies with his daughter.

Good. At least _he_ realized how special she is. I could earn his trust. I could get to know him. But at the moment, there was only one thing on my mind and that was getting to know his daughter.

His perfect, beautiful, lovely daughter. Bella.

"Dad, Edward's cool," Bella said, pulling me from my thoughts. She said I was cool. That's progress. "I mean, he's Jake's best friend." Oh.

So that's who I was to her. I was safe because I was Jake's best friend. I was cool because I was Jake's best friend. Then it hit me. She wasn't inviting me because she liked me. She wasn't talking to me because she was actually interested in what we were saying. She was polite. Bella Swan was polite.

And even though that revelation hurt, it was just one more reason for me to love her. She really was perfect- to be so kind to an unwanted, unwelcome guy who was starting to straddle the fine line between acquaintance and stalker.

"Bella," Charlie said in a warning tone, "You said you were going out with Jake tonight. Don't you think it's rather rude for you to change your plans without talking it over with him?"

"We just talked it over," Bella replied easily, still pretending like she really wanted me to come. She was so convincing, I almost believed her. "I can't keep hogging Jake. He needs to spend time with his other friends, too, Dad."

I looked at Jake automatically, knowing that he was bound to disagree with her statement.

"Bella, I've spent years with E," Jake replied just as I expected. "I really don't think he'll miss me that much if I go to the movies with you tonight, will you, man?"

Then the ball was in my court. I could let them go have their fun and risk losing her or I could take advantage of Bella's good manners and keep on pretending that I actually had a chance with this angel. Just as I was opening my mouth to answer, Bella came to my rescue once again.

"Edward's coming," her voice range with finality. "He was invited. He accepted the invitation. He's a friend, and he's coming with us, Jake."

I was ecstatic that she called me her friend. Friend implied some sort of a relationship, a reason to spend time with her. And though that wasn't enough, it was a good start. Unless she was just being polite again. I was beginning to hate social etiquette.

"Fine, whatever," Jake grumbled under his breath as his shoulders slumped low. "Let's get out of here before E makes us late."

"You kids be careful," Charlie said, looking about as excited at the situation as Jacob. Had his actions toward me been any less cold, I probably would have shook his hand and told him again that it was nice meeting him. However, I knew he didn't feel it was nice meeting me, so I decided that perhaps it was best to just go quietly.

Jake and Bella exited the front door first, me trailing behind. Already I was feeling like the third wheel. Still, I couldn't get myself to regret my decision to come. What if Jake had used tonight to make their relationship official? What if he had tried to kiss her? No, it was a good thing I had decided to tag along.

I heard Jacob clear his throat from beside me. "So, which car are we taking?"

I couldn't even stop myself from laughing out loud at that one. Our choices were Jake's '86 VW Rabbit or my 2008 Volvo. It was just too ridiculous a question.

"Something tells me we'll be more comfortable in my car," I said with a smirk. If there was one thing I was confident about, it was my car.

"Fine, hot shot," Jake sneered. "We'll take your car."

"Whoa, _that's _your car?" Bella asked in awe. Good, she seemed to be genuine. "Jake, you weren't kidding when you said the Cullens were rich, were you?"

Jake just laughed uncomfortably in response while I glared at him. Over the years, we had come to an agreement that he wasn't to go around bragging to other people about how wealthy my family was. It just wasn't polite. Yes, we had money, and we didn't hide that fact, but we didn't flaunt it in lesser off people's faces either.

"We're not rich," I corrected with a shrug. "Carlisle is just very successful in medicine."

Bella beautiful face turned red at my correction. I think I heard her mumble, "I bet he'd laugh out loud if he saw the truck Dad got for me," but I couldn't be sure. I hoped she didn't think that because I had money I was better than she was. I could never be better than she was. No one could.

After that, we made our way toward my car in silence. I went to the passenger side door to open it for Bella, but she just looked at me strangely.

"Aren't you driving?" she asked, confused.

"Of course."

"Then why aren't you getting in the driver's side?"

"I will," I said, now confused at what she was getting at myself.

"Is this car designed for European travel?" she asked, peeking into the door I was holding open for her, but still not making any move to get in. "No, steering wheel is on the left side," she answered herself.

"He's opening the door for you, Bells," Jake said as he rolled his eyes at her. How dare he roll his eyes at this angel. Wait, she didn't realize I was opening the door for her? Surely someone must have made this simple gesture on one of her past dates. If not, what kind of losers had she dated?

Jacob's voice answered my question. "He's all about fancy manners and all that." Guys like Jacob. That's who she'd dated in the past. Guys who didn't open the door for her. Guys who rolled their eyes at her adorable, confused face.

He was her type, and I wasn't. But I couldn't bring myself to give up. She deserved to be treated like royalty. She deserved better than guys like Jacob could give her. I could give her more, even if I couldn't give her all she deserved.

"Oh," Bella said, awkwardly moving into my car while trying to hide her more than obvious blush. "Thanks, Edward."

"You're welcome," I replied honestly. She was welcome to anything I had to offer.

The car ride to Port Angeles was silent, but comfortable. Bella hummed along with most of the songs that played on the radio, from Ramones to Linkin Park. I, of course, just fell deeper in love with her as Jacob bellowed requests for songs by Nine Inch Nails and Slipknot. Now, I could respect the musical talent possessed by both of those bands, but didn't feel comfortable forcing Bella to listen to their sometimes vulgar lyrics. Plus, I was fairly certain Jake was just trying to kill the mood of subtle romance that had started to spark between Bella and myself.

_Subtle Romance? Note to self: Less time with Alice, more time watching action films._

**Author's Note (again): So, that's all you get for now. The next chapter will be the actual movie theater experience, which will be amazing, if I do say so myself. And I do. Plus, it should be much longer- like 3,000 words minimum.**

**Review, and I will inevitably giggle. **


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